Polished West Coast rock

Victoria’s Jets Overhead nominated for Juno Award

This west coast meditation whirls listeners into the calms and
torrents of B.C.’s rugged coast, photo submitted

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Who: Jets Overhead

When: Sunday, Feb. 25

Where: Merlin’s

Tucked away in a cabin on Hornby Island, perched above a
roaring cliff of spray and salt, Jets Overhead band members laid the tracks for
the heart and soul of their most recent album,
Bridges
.

If you listen closely to the eight-minute-plus song No More
Nothing, you can hear that same stormy night rumbling underneath rolling guitar
lines and layered vocal harmonies that finally wash away into live ocean sounds
hitting the shore.

This west coast meditation whirls listeners into the calms and
torrents of B.C.’s rugged coast. This sound, the band’s way of life, recently
landed the Vancouver Islanders a nod from the 2007 Juno Awards for Best New
Band — and it looks like more and more ocean rockers are catching on.

“We are really pleased to have some recognition,” said Jocelyn
Greenwood
,
Jets Overhead bassist. “It’s a good feeling to have the motivation and boost of
excitement to know people are out there listening and paying attention. It’s a
good right of passage. A stepping stone into the Canadian music scene.”

Jets Overhead’s music is a bit of a stone itself. Listening to
the track Killing Time is like a piece of multi-flecked granite whose once
rough corners are softened and rounded after being rolled around in the sea.

I know, again with the west coast imagery, but listen to
Bridges at myspace.com/jetsoverhead and you’ll better understand this edgy hard
rock mix that drifts around in B.C.’s laidback vibe. It’s unbeatable and
guaranteed to become one of your favourite hanging out on the couch with your
best buddies soundtracks — and critics agree.

“
Bridges
is an
impressive, easygoing and mood-altering experience with a nostalgic feel that
is a calculated combination of accomplished musicianship and intelligent
production,” raved an Hour music critique.

“Jets Overhead is reason No. 58 why Canada’s got the best rock
scene in the world right now,” wrote a Calgary Herald reporter.

This year’s rock scene is fierce, with the Jets Overhead Juno
nomination sharing company with the likes of Stabilo, Mobile, Evans and Idle
Sons — the first two bands played at the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival
mainstage last spring.

But it’s not just award juries and media catching on, Jets
Overhead has garnered a devout fan base after touring all over Canada, Germany
and the United Kingdom. The Victoria band kept stage company with the likes of
Our Lady Peace, Sam Roberts and Broken Social Scene.
Bridges
will also be released in Japan on Columbia Records
and in Europe on Sweet Nothing/Cargo. After a short B.C. and Alberta tour, Jets
Overhead make their way down to Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Fest.

“We did a lot of high-profile touring this year, but we are
still quite underground as far as media eyes are concerned,” Greenwood said.
“In a way, it creates a certain amount of longevity.”

Get amongst Jets Overhead’s puzzle of vocal harmonies overlaying
a bass grove that slips listeners into a trance rock state of mind this Sunday,
Feb. 25 at Merlin’s in the Upper Village.
The Golden Dogs will warm crowds up.